Pioneers in isophorone chemistry

19-Nov-2012 - Germany

On November 16, Evonik will celebrate 50 years of making isophorone chemicals. This is an important milestone for the company, and some 200 customers, employees, and pensioned former employees will join Evonik Executive Board members Dr. Thomas Haeberle and Thomas Wessel in Herne to look back on the long and interesting history of isophorone chemistry at the site.

The first plant for isophorone production commenced operation at the Herne site of Hibernia, as a predecessor company of Evonik Industries in 1962. Discovered as a byproduct of acetone catalysis, isophorone, a solvent, evolved to eventually become one of the company’s core areas of competency. The continual further development of this product, combined with the exploration and tapping of new technologies and markets, enabled the company to build an extensive product portfolio for applications in a whole variety of industries.

Just recently, in June of this year, Evonik held a groundbreaking ceremony for the start of construction of a plant in Shanghai (China), its fifth isophorone production site. Products from the new facilities, which are scheduled to come on stream in the first quarter of 2014, will primarily serve markets in China and Asia Pacific, with an annual capacity
of 50kt.

Isophorone, isophorone diamine, isophorone diisocyanate, and their derivatives are important components in the production, for example, of industrial flooring, vinyl, and paints and coatings, for the growth field of high-performance composites, and in chemical synthesis.

Already, more than 80 percent of the isophorone sold to the coatings industry is employed in eco-friendly systems.

Evonik currently manufactures isophorone chemical products in Herne and Marl (Germany), Mobile, Alabama (USA), and Antwerp (Belgium).

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